Illinois notebook: Bruce Weber not sure if D.J. Richardson can play against Purdue

John Supinie

Tuesday

Mar 1, 2011 at 12:01 AMMar 1, 2011 at 12:01 AM

It's not a good time to be short-handed. Illini sophomore guard D.J. Richardson didn't practice Sunday and was limited Monday because of a sore groin, and his availability was still uncertain when the Illini (18-11 overall, 8-8 in the Big Ten) play at No. 6 Purdue (24-5, 13-3) on Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN). Coach Bruce Weber said Monday he would wait and see on Richardson.

CHAMPAIGN -- It's not a good time to be short-handed.

Illini sophomore guard D.J. Richardson didn't practice Sunday and was limited Monday because of a sore groin, and his availability was still uncertain when the Illini (18-11 overall, 8-8 in the Big Ten) play at No. 6 Purdue (24-5, 13-3) on Tuesday (6 p.m., ESPN). Coach Bruce Weber said Monday he would wait and see on Richardson.

Weber remained hopeful Richardson would play, but it was less likely he would start after Richardson suffered the injury in the 81-68 win over Iowa on Saturday. He left the game in the second half and didn't return.

Following the win, Weber indicated the injury was to Richardson's hamstring after a dunk, then reported Monday it was actually the groin.

"I don't want to say doubtful,'' Weber said. "You keep working at it. A lot of things can change at gametime with the adrenalin. The problem for D.J. is his strength is his quickness, getting in a stance. With a groin, it might be tough. We're hoping for the best.''

The former Peoria Central High School star, Richardson underwent treatment three times Sunday and will likely have two more sessions Monday before the team left for West Lafayette, Ind., after practice. He was kept from live action during practice Monday.

"He told one of the guys he felt like it stiffened up before the game,'' Weber said. "When he went for a dunk he came down and kind of tweaked it. It really stiffened up at halftime.''

Richmond will likely just have to play through pain after first suffering the sprain in the loss at Michigan State on Feb. 19. Richmond thought the shoulder popped out, but trainer Al Martindale felt it was a sprain, Weber said.

Leonard played against Iowa after missing most of practice Thursday and Friday with the ankle injury. He still wears a brace inside his shoe.

TRACK AND FIELD: From the way Illinois freshman pole vaulter Matt Bane sees it, he not only won the Big Ten indoor title Saturday but may also have won a pickup truck.

The Rochester graduate became the first Illini vaulter to win a Big Ten title in 11 years by clearing 17 feet, 3 3/4 inches on his first attempt Saturday at the conference indoor meet at the Armory on the Illinois campus. Seeded third heading into the meet, Bane set a personal best, and, in the process, might have boosted his stock with the Illini.

If so, that could mean more scholarship money, which could lead to a deal he made with his dad.

"He said if I can get a scholarship, I can get a truck,'' Bane said. "I did get a (partial) scholarship, but it wasn't much. If I can get it to go up, it was the deal, whether it be when I get out of college or somewhere in the middle.''

Bane will compete in a last-chance meet this weekend at Notre Dame, hoping to earn a spot in the NCAA indoor championships.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Sophomore forward Karisma Penn earned second-team honors in a vote of media and third team with the coaches in all-Big Ten balloting announced Monday.

Penn ranks fourth among Big Ten players in scoring (18 points per game), second in rebounding (10.2), third in blocks (2.4) and fifth in steals (2.1). Bouncing back from a torn ACL last season, Illini forward Amber Moore was named to a spot on the five-player all-freshman team chosen by the coaches.

Illinois (7-22, 2-14) set a school record for losses and enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 11 seed. The Illini play No. 6 Wisconsin in the first round Thursday.

IN OTHER NEWS: Rochester junior quarterback Wes Lunt, who received a scholarship offer from Illinois in early February, also landed an offer from Michigan State on Sunday. Lunt made unofficial visits to Illinois, Michigan State and Western Michigan over the weekend. Lunt also has scholarship offers from Boston College, SMU and Western Michigan. ... Single-game tickets for the men's Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis go on sale at 9 a.m. Thursday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.ticketmaster.com, by calling 800-745-3000, through the Conseco box office and consecofieldhouse.com. Single-game tickets range from $30 to $80. All-sessions seats are also available from $165 to $220.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

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